Is a DJ or a Band Best for your wedding
If you’re having trouble making your mind up between a DJ or a band for your reception, this quick guide might be able to help you.
Music is vitally important at a wedding; it’s the best bit of a reception and it often gets even Granny up on her feet once or twice. Old favourites bring friends back together and it’s the ultimate ice-breaker. If it goes wrong, however, it can kill your atmosphere, so you have to get it right. You must look at your budget, your venue and your guests’ tastes and you should also canvass friends for advice. Most importantly, you have to act fast as bands are often booked up a year in advance. Here’s the main factors you should consider:
Is a DJ or a Band Best For Your Wedding?
Atmosphere
Your choice of music sets the vibe and helps to create a theme and the band or DJ is often what people remember the most. Do you want rock, pop, funk or even 1940’s big band music? Do you want a lively band, or a charismatic DJ?
Variety if the spice…
You’ll have all ages and musical tastes there, so you need your DJ or your band to cover most, if not all, bases. Everyone will want a turn on the dancefloor, and the bigger the band, the more styles they’ll be able to pull off.
Your budget
Of course, DJs cost less than an eight-to-twelve piece band. Factor in things like the number of people you’ll be paying and how far they’ll travel. If you book Vibetown wedding band in Yorkshire, their home county, you may pay less than hiring a band from London. Consider the season, the day of the week and the length of their slot too.
Your venue
Don’t book that mariachi band or thrash metal combo before checking with the venue. There may be a limit on the numbers of musicians, or on the volume, or there may not be enough electricity outlets. Find all this out before you start shortlisting bands.
Band or DJ?
Live bands get everyone going and they also provide a sense of atmosphere and sophistication. They can also be niche – you may want Ukrainian folk dancing, for example. The bandleader can also act as MC, “feeling” the crowd and working with it.
However – bands are almost always more expensive and no band can have the same repertoire and variety of a DJ’s digital collection.
DJs are a different breed nowadays – they don’t blare out “Agadoo” and ask people to move their cars anymore. Plus that, you’ll get the original version of each song and a DJ takes up much less space than a band.
However – if your DJ has a duff personality, or a duff musical collection, you’re in trouble.
Try before you buy
A reputable band or DJ will have videos or recordings of previous receptions, so ask to see one, or ask if you can attend a dress rehearsal. Ask for the contact details of the last few clients to get their feedback.
You should also ask if the band can play your first dance song – if not, and they don’t seem willing to learn it, choose someone else. Likewise, you should be able to veto some songs – “Agadoo” probably being near the top of this list!
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